2019-02-18The Best Experience for Truffle Hunting in Tuscany
Jacqueline Azis
USA
I can not overstate what a unique and valuable experience this was. The highlight of our trip.We started the day at a rural villa/farm in San Miniato. The farm produces Chianti wine, pecorino cheese (from sheep), olive oil, honey, and truffle products. ALL from the land of the farm. We spent time outside with a truffle hunting dog “Choco” and the truffle hunter Francesca - who is also an incredible host and chef. Francesca owns the villa where we had our lunch. After truffle hunting, we had a home-cooked meal of fresh truffle-based appetizers, truffle pasta, a side dish, and a dessert. The courses were paired with different wines direct from the vineyard/distillery onsite. This is not the wine tasting though! We were embarrassed to ask for more wine, but our guide, Vittorio, advised us that in Italy “wine is like water” and we began pouring our own glasses, and finished off a bottle of truly amazing wine.
We really enjoyed our lunch and speaking to Victorio about Italian history and politics. It was a very insightful conversation for two Americans. After lunch, we headed to another winery for a wine tour and tasting. We stopped at the city center of San Miniato. San Miniato is a small Italian town with an interesting medieval history. There are no major landmarks here and it is not a tourist destination. It was a great experience to walk through this town. We felt a little bit like intruders being tourists in this town, but it was beautiful and we loved being there.
The winery was another great experience. Great tasting wine, great tasting olive oil, and great hosts/company. Vittorio was very knowledgeable and explained to us all about the different types of Chianti regions and wines, as well as some tips for getting the most flavor from the wines while sipping. This day was a highlight for our trip and worth every penny. It was a truly unique experience and we would recommend it to friends in a heartbeat.
Truffle and Wine Tour